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On the Beach celebrates 10 years

In May 2014, On the Beach celebrated ten years since it’s first booking back in 2004. On the anniversary, founder Simon Cooper spoke to press, saying that he believes the agency has the platform to become a £1 billion turnover business.

The firm was set up in a terraced house in Manchester by Mr.Cooper, generating its leads from Teletext’s analogue service. The first booking was taken on the 11th May 2004. Today, the company has moved on from it’s humble beginnings as a non-transactional website to become one of the leading travel agents in the UK.

When the site was launched, Mr.Cooper had a vision that it would emulate the personalised experience that customers would receive when booking a holiday over the telephone. He wanted the site to be as simple as possible in order to help people research and book the holidays that they wanted.

Today, the firm has its own technology platform which Mr. Cooper will help shape it’s future, as it explores how next generation websites will operate. On the Beach aims to provide an even more tailored experience for each user, made for every type of device that a customer would use to access the website.

Back in 2007, On the Beach secured its first ‘outside’ investment from venture capitalists Isis Equity Partners. This deal valued the company at 35 million. Last October, they became the major shareholders for the company at just under double that amount.

Indeed, the company has grown at a remarkable rate, with total transaction value set to exceed £400 million this year, compared to £10 million in its first full year of operating. Cooper states that On the Beach has been profitable each year and over the past three years has actually grown 50% each year. Some of the company’s growth will come from overseas where On the Beach launched eBeach in Scandinavia.

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